


Anything for Mischief

by rainier_day



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, M/M, Mollymauk Lives Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 08:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19764370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainier_day/pseuds/rainier_day
Summary: Jester and Beau make a bet.





	Anything for Mischief

**Author's Note:**

> Mollymauk Lives Fest Day 4: Mischief

“I’m just saying, I worry about him sometimes.”

“Really? I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. What do you think, Yasha?”

Turning her attention away from the card game Molly, Fjord, and Nott started at the other side of the tavern, Yasha empties her tankard and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Looking over to the other two woman, she blinks. “Sorry, what are you talking about?” 

Beau huffs and points over to Caleb, who is currently tucked away in the corner of the tavern. He has Frumpkin wrapped around his neck and his head buried between the pages of a tome thick enough to break any toe it's dropped on. “He has no awareness of his surroundings or whatsoever when he reads. It’s gonna get us all into trouble sooner rather than later.”

She looks over at the man in question and shrugs. “Oh, I don't know, he reads a lot. He seems pretty used to it.”

Jester lets out a whoop of triumph. “Ha! See? That’s what I said!”

“He's fine sitting down. It's when we're out outside on the streets that it's bad,” Beau insists. “I’m telling you, just yesterday, I watched him run into Molly like _twice_. Imagine if it’d been some big ogre or something with a short temper.”

Yasha gestures at the bartender for another round and asks, “Yesterday? That book lasted him more than a day?”

The monk shakes her head incredulously. “ _That’s_ the point you're running with? No, it was a different one. I think he bought like three books from that store? I swear, when it comes to books, he's like Jester with pastries, only with even worse self-control.”

“Hey, I have plenty of self-control,” Jester says with a huff. She pulls out her haversack and holds it up for them to see. “Look, I still have some from last week! You guys want some?”

“That's impressive,” Yasha says, nodding her thanks when new drinks are brought to them—two ales and one milk. “I’ll take one. Thank you.”

After a moment of consideration, Beau shrugs and reaches over. “Yeah, me too. Thanks, Jes.”

As the stale pastries are divvied up, Jester suddenly sits up in excitement, nearly spilling her milk. “Hey, Beau, let's make a bet! I bet Caleb's actually super crazy good at walking and reading!”

Beau perks up with interest. “Oh, I like that! Let's do it! What do you wanna bet? Gold? Pastries?”

There's a glimmer in the tiefling's eyes that Yasha's come to associate with chaos. “How about the winner gets to make the loser say something—oh! And it'll be to whoever the winner chooses!”

At this, Beau hesitates. Yasha can feel her gaze directed towards her and kindly pretends not to notice. “You’re not gonna make me say anything stupid or bad that I'd remember and regret for the rest of my days, right, Jester?”

Tilting her head innocently, Jester asks, “Like what, Beau?”

The monk narrows her eyes for a moment and then takes a big swig of her ale. “Fuck it, you know I trust you. Let's do this!”

Jester grins, clapping excitedly. “We can go Caleb-watching tomorrow! Yasha, you can be the judge!”

“You seem very confident, Jester,” she notes.

“Of course! A Lavorre never makes a losing bet!” Jester announces, her hands at her hips.

Yasha smiles and decides not to bring up her loss to Molly just the week before. 

Somewhere across the tavern, Molly lets out a whoop and collects his winnings, promising to buy the first round of drinks for his goblin-in-crime as well as the people he'd won the coin from including Fjord.

Glancing over towards Caleb, she notices him watching the spectacle with a silent laugh and a fond shake of his head before returning to his book.

\--

The next day, they make their way back into the city as a group, and as promised, Yasha lingers in the back to watch the wizard with Jester and Beau. 

A problem quickly presents itself: Caleb's not reading.

In fact, the man doesn't seem to have a book in his hands at all and is currently engaged in a quiet conversation with Nott.

Beau crosses her arms. “He couldn't have finished reading _all_ those books already. Or, I mean, he definitely could’ve, but still!”

Jester mimics her gesture. “How are we supposed to do this bet if he doesn't read? We need to think of _something_.”

“Something to do what? It sounds like you ladies are having fun without me and I demand to be included,” Molly chimes in from Yasha's side. She instinctively lifts her arm for the tiefling to tuck in closer and rests her arm around his shoulder.

“They have a bet going,” Yasha tells him, “but the subject's not reading like he's supposed to, you know?”

Molly blinks and glances up to where Caleb is and then back to her. “Oh, that's an easy fix. How long do you need him to read for?”

She looks over to the other women and tilts her head. Beau shrugs. “As long as possible, I guess? I mean, we just need some observation time.”

Jester nods in agreement. “Yeah, just enough time for me to win this bet.”

“Okay, you've piqued my interest so I'll help you out,” Molly generously offers. “Get the group to browse at a store or something. Give me ten minutes.”

“You got it!” Jester nods enthusiastically. Running off to the side, she cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, “Hey, guys! I think I see a bakery! I need pastries _right now_ or I'll _die_!”

The rest of the group obediently stop and turn to follow her lead.

From the back, Yasha shakes her head fondly at him. “Anything for mischief, huh?”

The tiefling grins widely back at her. “I don't know what you're talking about, dear.” Then he slips away, surprisingly discreet for such a colourful character.

\--

Molly returns a short while later and the three of them watch him march up to Caleb with a thick book tucked under his arm. The wizard looks confused at first and Molly's expression changes several times as he spins his story.

Caleb rubs the back of his neck and asks a question.

Molly nods happily, tail flicking to and fro.

Caleb frowns and says something else.

Molly's entire person seems to droop along with his tail.

Caleb only deliberates for a moment more before holding his hand out and taking the book with a sigh of defeat. Within seconds, he's flipped to the first page and started reading.

“I hate to admit it, and don't you guys say anything to him, but that was good,” Beau mutters with reluctant awe. “He didn't have to use his fists or anything.”

“Molly's pretty good with people when he wants to be,” Yasha points out. She doesn't feel the need to highlight the fact that she's never actually seen Caleb say no to the tiefling before.

With a bag off freshly bought pastries in her arms, Jester grins and happily takes a bite out of one. “Looks like the bet is back on. Let's observe! I'm _great_ at observing!”

\--

They follow Caleb down three blocks and through the town square. The entire time, his eyes are focussed on the page in front of him, and yet he manages to deftly avoid all obstacles thrown his way including small children, merchants, and other members of the Mighty Nein. 

Caleb easily follows Fjord's lead, stopping when Nott runs in front of him to hide out of sight from the owner of the buttons in her hands. He even manages to maneuver around Jester when she decides to do circles around him. All the while, the pages continue turning at an unimpeded speed.

Yasha nods to herself, impressed, when Jester returns with a triumphant “See? He's super good at this! I _totally_ win!”

Beau frowns and shakes her head. “No way, I know what I saw! He ran into Molly _so_ many times!”

“Why would he have a problem with Molly?” Yasha asks quietly, suddenly a little worried for her best friend.

“Maybe he's just quiet—no, I know. That sounded stupid before it even left my mouth,” Beau mutters, waving her own statement off.

“Maybe Caleb was having a bad day? He dodged me just fine?” Jester asks. “Fjord is taller and Nott is smaller and Caleb didn't have a problem dodging either of them! He's very impressive like this, actually. If only he could do it in battle, you know?”

“Could he be using magic? What if he's a duplicate?” the monk asks, perking up.

Jester shakes her head. “No, I saw Nott put buttons into his pocket. It would've fallen out if he was a duplicate—unless he's got a _special_ duplicate! But that can't be because mine's the best because the Traveler taught me how to do it so never mind!”

Throwing her arms in the air, Beau groans. “It doesn't make any sense!”

“There, there,” Jester says, immediately throwing a comforting arm around her friend. “He’s still reading so we can keep watching, okay?”

The group continue wandering around the town, looking for information and work, occasionally stopping at a shop to pick up supplies. Try as they might to concentrate on their bet, the three of them keep getting distracted by shops and sights, and upon seeing a particularly shiny bauble in the shape of the sun, Jester calls out, “Hey, Molly! Come look at this!”

The other tiefling perks up and turns around.

Only for Caleb to walk into him.

Jester nearly drops the jewellery.

“Pardon me, Mollymauk,” the wizard mutters quietly, looking up from his book.

“I take it you're enjoying it?” Molly asks with a happy grin.

Caleb shrugs. “Ja, it is an interesting read.”

“I can't wait to hear about it later,” Molly says. Then he leans over and gives the wizard a peck on the nose, the tip a little red from hitting the book. “Excuse me for a sec.”

Face heating up, Caleb quickly buries his head back behind the pages and walks away.

Jester is still gawking when Molly saunters up to her. “You called for me?”

Snapping out of her stupor, she takes a moment to regain her thoughts and holds up the sun pendant. “Look! Baubles! Isn't it pretty?”

Crimson eyes widen with delight. “It is! I can always use more trinkets. Let's see what else they have.”

When she regroups with Beau and Yasha, they're both looking at her expectantly. “Okay, maybe it was because Molly stopped so suddenly.”

“Jes, you literally tried to clothesline him earlier and I tried to jump at him off a _wall_ and none of it worked,” Beau points out. 

“But it doesn't make sense! We need to observe more!” Jester declares.

\--

Caleb is about two thirds through the book when Molly moves back up front to talk to Fjord. Keeping an eye out for anything off, that's when Yasha notices.

The wizard's not reading anymore.

She gestures for the other two to join her and the three of them watch as Caleb continues walking, pages no longer flipping. 

“What's he looking at?” Beau whispers.

“He looks distracted. Maybe he's looking at Molly's butt,” Jester whispers back excitedly. “Molly _does_ have a very nice butt. And a nice dick. Like that whole area?” She pinches her thumb and pointer together into an enthusiastic 'okay’ sign.

Noticing the subtle sway of his head, Yasha shakes her head. “I think it's Molly's tail.”

“But Jester has a tail too,” Beau points out.

“Maybe I'm not tall enough for him to see my tail,” Jester suggests, swinging her tail around to the front to show it off. “I have a really nice tail but maybe he just likes Molly's tail more.”

“Maybe he just likes _Molly_ ,” Beau huffs. “Should I call out to him?”

“Who are you calling out to?”

The three of them look down at Nott, who decided to slow down and join them in the back. “Hey, Nott, perfect timing! Is Caleb secretly in love with Molly? Or maybe his butt?” Jester asks, blunt as ever.

Large yellow eyes stare back at them in surprise and suspicion. “What are you talking about? You're not planning on doing anything to my boy, are you!?”

Beau immediately gestures for the goblin to lower her voice. “No, we're just trying to figure out what's interesting enough for him to stop reading.”

Nott turns and follows their gaze over to the wizard and frowns. “He's probably listening and making sure they're not planning anything stupid that will get us hurt or killed.”

“He doesn't look very concerned if that's the case,” Yasha points out easily.

Eyes shifting a little, the goblin squares her shoulders defensively and says, “Yeah, well, I bet he's just distracted by that ridiculous coat!”

At this, Jester turns to Beau and shrugs. “That _could_ be it. I mean, Molly's coat is really cool and there's a lot to look at? Maybe there’s a puzzle or a pattern on it and Caleb’s trying to solve it?”

Looking back over to the rest of the group, Beau shrugs. “Guess we gotta grab that coat. Hey Molly!”

The tiefling whirls around and like before, Caleb runs into him. Hard. Luckily, Molly manages to wrap an arm around the wizard's waist before either of them can fall over, but it does result in an awkward dip.

“Nice catch, Mols. You alright there, Caleb?” Fjord asks with a frown.

Caleb quickly rights himself and nods. “I am fine, danke.”

Fjord glances down at the book. “Must be hard walking and reading at the same time, huh? Do you want to hunker down somewhere and rest? We could go grab lunch.”

“Nein, I am fine,” Caleb mutters. “I have had plenty of practice. We can keep going.”

“You sure? It wouldn't be any trouble. Maybe take a break from reading?” Molly adds.

Shaking his head, Caleb says again, “I am fine, Mollymauk. I believe Beauregard was calling for you?”

Glancing over at them, Molly nods. “Right. I’ll be right back.” He turns around and walks over to their little group while Nott runs up to check on the wizard. Sparing one last concerned glimpse back, Molly says, “Maybe not the best day to be giving him a book. He's usually better than that.”

Jester immediately pounces on the statement. “What do you mean?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Molly shrugs. “He's normally better at reading and walking, isn't he? He's already run into me twice today and that hasn't really happened for a while…” Shaking his head, he asks, “Anyway, you need me for something?”

“Yeah, let me borrow your coat, would you?” Beau says, holding out her hand.

Molly arches a brow. “What?”

“Beau's cold,” Jester quickly adds.

He looks up at the clear blue sky and then back to Beau, who immediately plays along by crossing her arms and shivering. “You're cold enough to ask for _my_ coat? This 'affront to every spectrum of colour known to man', I think you called it?”

Beau shrugs. “Desperate times. Besides, maybe I was exaggerating about its loudness.”

Lips quirking up, Molly crosses his arms and leans back. “Desperate times indeed. Tell you what, I'll let you borrow my coat if you tell me all the things you like about it.”

With her hand still out and waiting, Beau whines, “C'mon, don't be a dick!”

“Oh, we all know I'm a _massive_ dick, dear,” he replies easily. Then, straightening his coat, Molly arches a brow pointedly and says, “Go on. I want to hear at least three things.”

“Fuck! Fine! It’s, uh, it's got colours and it's the right size for you and it's…probably warm?” she tries to list off with a sheepish shrug.

Molly winces. “Somehow that made me feel worse. But a deal's a deal, I guess.” Taking off his coat, he hands it over and tells Yasha, “Make sure she doesn't do anything weird to it, okay?”

Yasha nods and reassures him, “It'll be safe with us. Sorry to pull you from your conversation.”

“Yeah,” Beau says, waving him off, “go back to the guys or wherever you crawled out from.”

“You mean my _grave_?” Molly deadpans.

The monk does a double take, looking aghast. “No! I meant go back to talking to Fjord or whatever you were doing before! I don't know!”

Cocking his head to the side, Molly frowns and points out, “How can you not know? I was literally in front of you. You're the one who _called_ me over here.”

“Whatever, go away now,” Beau says again, pulling the coat on and struggling with the sleeves. ”How the fuck do you even wear this thing?”

“Oh, let me help you,” Jester offers.

Shaking his head as he walks away, they can all hear Molly muttering under his breath. Then he turns around and calls back, “A little colour and some sleeves does _wonders_ for you, Beauregard!”

“Fuck you, Molly!”

“Fuck you too!”

They watch as he pauses by Caleb to check on him again before returning to Fjord’s side, gesturing at them with a shrug when asked about his coat.

Eagerly returning to their observations, Jester grins when she sees Caleb walking slowly behind the tiefling, eyes no longer fixated on the pages. “He's _definitely_ looking at Molly's butt and not reading, you guys.”

“What does that mean for our bet, though?” Beau asks, trying to push the colourful sleeves up past her elbow. 

“Well, technically Caleb's not reading right now so I think I win the bet because he's technically really good at walking and reading, technically,” Jester says.

Yasha nods in agreement. “You know, I think Jester's right.”

Beau looks from her to Jester and back in disbelief. “I mean, I _guess_? You’re not wrong but— _fuck_! Caleb screwed me over with his stupid staring! I can't believe I wore Molly's coat just to lose!”

Jester grins and claps her hands excitedly. “Oh my gosh, don't worry, Beau. I know exactly what I want you to say.”

\-- 

Jogging forward to catch up to Molly with his coat in hand, Beau shoves the colourful fabric into his arms and mutters in a single breath, “ _Molly, your coat is beautiful and super cool and totally the best thing in the world. It also smells very nice and I like the sleeves a super duper lot. Also, you have a nice butt and Caleb's been staring at it all day_.”

Molly stops walking, his eyes wide with disbelief. And behind him, on the last few pages of the book, Caleb walks right into the tiefling, also gawking at her. 

“...are you feeling alright?” Molly asks with genuine concern.

Face heating up, Beau blurts out, “Yep, never better!” And then she turns around and runs away back to where Jester and Yasha are watching from afar—but not before shouting back, “This is all your fault, Caleb!”

“That was perfect, Beau,” Jester tells her happily once she's within earshot.

“He's never going to let me live it down,” Beau mutters, burying her face in her hands.

Yasha gives a half shrug. “If it makes you feel better, I don't think Molly believed you, you know?”

Beau's eyebrows raise with hope. “Really?” 

She nods reassuringly. “Yeah, I think he knew something was up.”

Jester cocks her head to the side. “Really? I thought he bought it.” Then more confidently, she says, “Actually, I _bet_ you he did.”

Smiling, Yasha huffs and crosses her arms. “Alright. You're on.”

When they turn around, neither Molly nor Caleb are anywhere to be seen.

\--

Once Beau is out of sight, Molly scans the area for the others before pulling Caleb into a little alleyway. Grinning, he asks, “So, my butt, huh? Is that why you've been so distracted today? Yesterday was a loose thread on my coat and today's my butt? That's kind of cute, Caleb. Almost as cute as my butt. If you want to look, I won't stop you.”

Caleb hides his face behind his book to cover his flushed cheeks. “Ja, it is plenty cute but that’s not it. Your tail.”

Crimson eyes blink as the tiefling tilts his head. “My tail? What about it?” he asks, his tail wrapping around the wizard's arm.

“I was wondering if it was common for tieflings to have something like that,” Caleb tells him, pointing down. “Pants seem impractical when it comes to tails.”

Using the wizard as an anchor, Molly twists around to inspect his pants and the little window made for his tail. “Oh, well, maybe? I don’t know. I made this myself back in the circus. It's hard to do flips in a skirt, you know? I look great in a skirt though, mind you.”

“I would not doubt that,” Caleb mumbles from behind his book.

Laughing, Molly leans in close and teases, “Mister Caleb, to take a page out of Jester's book, are you secretly in love with me?”

Lowering the book, Caleb presses a quick kiss to his lips and mutters, “I did not realize it was still a secret.”

Tail releasing its hold in surprise, it quickly reorients itself and wraps around the wizard's waist instead as Molly steps forward to return the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Plot twist: There's no getting together after that reveal because they're already in a relationship!
> 
> Nott and Yasha totally already know.


End file.
